Means for facilitating the adjustment of balance-weights on gyrating machines.



No. 883,827. I PATENTED APR. '7, 1908..

L. V. RATHBUN.

MEANS EOE EACILITATING TEE ADJUSTMENT 0E BALANCE WEIGETS 0N GYEATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILLED HAE. 9| 1906.

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APPLIGATIQN NILBD MAR. 9. 1906.

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UNITI-in STATES PATENT onnIoII.

LEWIS v. RATHBUN, or KANss cI'TY, MISSOURI.

MEANS FOR FACILITATING THE ADJUSTMENT OF BALANCE-WEIGHTS ON GYRATING- MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

j Patented April 7, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS V. RATHBUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Facilitating the Adjustment of Balance-Weights on Gyrating Machines, of which the following is a Specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for facilitating the adjustment of balance-weights on gyrating machines; my object being to provide means whereby said balance weights may be accurately and quicklyadjusted to overcome the vibration common to yrating machines such, for instance, as bo ting-machines wherein a gyrating motion is imparted to the sieve-boxes during the process of separating and grading the stock. This vibration is communicated to the building containing the machines and if not corrected by proper adjustment of the balance-weights will, in time, affect the stability of the walls of the building.

In machines wherein the drive-shaft is j ournaled in a stationary frame it is all but impossible to properly adjust the balance- .i weights to overcome the vibration, owing to the rigidity of said frame. I overcome this diflicu ty by supporting the stationary frame in a manner to render it very sensitive to the vibration above referred to, so that it will be oscillated, reciprocated, or gyrated thereby and thus clearly indicate how the balanceweight or weights should be adjusted. The latter may then be easily adjusted until the frame comes to rest, when of course the machine will cease to vibrate.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention; Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view of a gyrating-machine provided with my improve- Fig. 2 is a broken horizontal section.

ments. of the balance-wheel and weight taken on line Il of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line IIIIH of Fig. 4, of the lower portion o f a gyrating vmachine provided with a modified form of the invention. Fig. 4 is a broken sectional plan view of same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken vertical section taken on line V-V of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on line VI-Vl of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a broken side elevation of a modified form of the invention. Fi 8 is a transverse section of another modi cation taken on line VIlI-VHI of Fig. 9. Fi 9 is a longitudinal section taken o'n line X-IX of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a transverse section of another modiiication taken on line X of Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section of same taken on line Xl-Xl of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of another modification employed in carrying out the invention.

1 designates the frame of a gyrating machine of the sifter type, and consists of supporting posts 2 united at their upper and lower ends with bridge-trees 3 and 4, respectively.

5 designates sieve-boxes provided with bearings 6 mounted upon` a drive-shaft 7 whereby a gyratory motion is imparted to said sieve-box.

8 designates the ends of shaft 7 which are j ournaled in bearings 9.

10 designates a combined drive-pulley and balance-wheel, and 11 designates a balancewheel both of which are fixed upon the crankshaft. Said wheels are provided with guides 12 between which balance-weights 13 are slidably mounted. Each balance-weight is either adjusted toward or away from the center of its respective balance-wheel by a screw 14, j ournaled in the balance-wheel-hub 15 and a cross-bar 15a, and provided with a square outer terminal to receive a hand-wheel 16 having a hub 17 provided with a socket for engaging the square terminal of the screw so that the latter may be rotated in either direction and thus shift the weight inwardly or outwardly. Hub 17 is temporarily secured to the screw by a transverse pin-17a. The periphery of each balance-wheel has an opening 18 for the passage of hub 17 so that the hand-wheel may be removed from the screw after the weight has been properly adjusted.

Frame 1 is mounted upon rollers 19 arranged to travel back and forth upon a track 20, having upturned ends 21 arranged in the path of the bridge-trees 4 to prevent undue movement of frame 1. j

22 designates flexible rods for suspending the sieve-boxes from frame 1. After the balance-weights have been properly adjusted the frame may be secured from accidental movement by inserting wedges t between the ends of the bridge-trees and the upturned ends of the track 20.

ln the modification, Fig. 3 and 4, 2 designates the supporting posts and 4EL the bridgetrees of the frame, which latter is temporarily raised and mounted upon rollers 19a so that it may move to and fr; while the balance-weights are being adjusted. Rollers 19L reach from one bridge-tree to another and operate in bearings 23 24 arranged in the underside of the bridge-trees and the upper sides of sills 25, respectively. Sills 25 are provided with resilient buffers 21l arranged in the path of the bridge-trees to limit the movement of the franie. The movement of the frame is further controlled by shoes 26 which are drawn into frictional contact with the rollers by adjusting nuts 27 engaging bolts 28 extending upwardly from a longitudinal beam 29. Ordinarily the bridge-trees rest upon the sills but when it is desired to insert or remove the rollers the frame is raised bodily by eccentrics 30 mounted upon transverse shafts 31, journaled in bearings 32, secured to the sills and provided with cups 33 to receive the eccentrics. Bearings 32 prevent lateral movement of the eccentrics while the bridge-trees 4a are prevented from moving laterally upon the eccentrics by fianges depending from inverted cups 34 arranged in said bridge-trees. Shafts 31 are provided with fixed sprocket-wheels 35 connected by endless sprocket-chains 36, so that when one of the shafts is turned through the instrumentality of a hand-lever 87 all of the eccentrics will be simultaneously raised or lowered and thus keep the frame level.

Referring now to the modification, Fig. 7, 2b designates the posts of the frame which rests upon the bridge-trees 4b provided with eye-bo ts 38. 40 designates cables attached at their opposite terminals to the eye-bolts and shafts 3121 upon which latter they are adapted to be wound in order to lift the ma-A chine bodily from the floor. Shafts 31L are provided with fixed sprocket-wheels 35EL connected by an endless sprocket-chain 36a so that when a hand-lever 37EL engaging one of the shafts, is lowered said shafts will be simultaneously rotated and thus wind the cables thereon. By thus elevating the frame it will be free to swing to and fro until the balanceweights have been properly adjusted.

Referring in detail to the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9, 4C designates a bridgetree provided with bearings 23a which engage rollers 19C, the latter being arranged to travel upon bearings 24a adjustably supported by wedges 30L slidably arranged upon inclines 41 xed to sills 25a. Each wedge is adjusted by a screw 42 journaled in a boss 43 and provided with a hand-wheel 44 which affords a convenient grip when adjusting the screw. By yturning said screw in one direction it is obvious that the wedge will be drawn towards the upper portion of the incline and thus raise the bridge-trees out of contact with the sills so that the frame may move to and fro upon the rollers 19C. By

turning the Screw in the opposite direction the wedge will be pushed toward the lower end of the incline and thus permit the bridgetrees to move downwardly and rest upon the sills.

Referring to the modification, Figs. 10 and 1l, 4e designates the bridge-trees rovided with bearings 23b which engage ro lers 19d mounted in bearings 24h which normally rest upon plates 45. 46 designates a pair of screws extending through threaded perforations in each of the bearings 24b and having lower conical terminals fitted in conical recesses in plates 45. Said screws extend upwardly through openings 47 in the bridgetrees and are provided with hand-wheels 48. By turning said hand-wheels in one direction it is obvious that bearings 24b and the rollers carried thereby will be moved upwardly and thus raise the bridge-trees from the sills, and by turning said screws in the opposite direction the bridge-trees will be permitted to mnve downwardly until they rest upon said s1 s.

In the modification, Fig. 12, 4f represents the bridge-trees which normally rest upon sills 25c and are provided with embedded nuts 49. 50 designates screws extending through the bridge-trees and the nuts and having V-shapcd sockets 51 at their lower ends and handwheels 52 at their upper ends. 53 designates crank-arms fixed to shafts 54 and having their upper Vshaped ends engaging sockets 51, thus when the screws are turned in one direction. the bridge-trees will be moved u wardly from the sills so that the machine wi l be supported by the screws and the crank-arms, which latter oscillate as the machine moves to and fro.

While I have shown that type of machine wherein the sieve-boxes and the drive-shaft are supported by the same frame, the in vention may, of course, be applied to that class of machines wherein the sieve-boxes are supported independently of the frame containing the drive-shaft, in which instance said frame containing the drive-shaft need only be arranged to move to and fro during the adjustment of the balance-weights.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a gyrating machine providedfwith a drive-shaft, a balance-wheel mounted upon said shaft, balance-weights carried by said wheel, and a frame in which the drive-shaft is mounted, in combination with -means for movably supporting said frame temporarily so that it may be affected by the vibration of the machine, and means for raising and lowering said frame.

2. A gyrating machine provided with a drive-shaft, a balance-wheel mounted upon said shaft, balance-weights carried by said wheel, and a frame in/which the drive-shaft ssasz'? is mounted, in combination with rollers for supporting said frame so that the latter Will be caused to reciprocate by the vibration of the machine, and stops for limiting the reciprocating movements ofthe frame.

3. A gyrating machine provided with a drive-shaft, a balance-Wheel mounted upon said shaft, balance-Weights carried by said Wheel7 and a frame in which the drive-shaft is mounted, in combination with rollers for supporting said frame so that the latter will be caused to reci rocate by the vibration of the machine, resilient stops for limiting the reciprocating movements of the frame, and means for applying friction to the rollers to retard their movements.

4. A gyrating machine provided With a normally-stationary frame, a drive-shaft, a

balance Wheel mounted upon said shaft, and balance Weights carried by said Wheel, in combination with means for temporarily raisin said frame, for the purpose described. 5. gyrating machine provided With a normally-stationary frame, a drive-shaft, a balance Wheel mounted upon said shaft, and balance weights carried by said Wheel, in combination With means for tem orarily raising said frame, and antifriction earings for supporting said frame while in a raised position.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature, in the presence of tWo witnesses.

LEWIS V. RATHBUN. Witnesses:

LESLIE E. BAIRD,

F. G. FISCHER. 

